The Philadelphia Eagles have officially signed former Chiefs and Steelers cornerback Steven Nelson to a 1-year $4 million contract. The long anticipated move comes just days before the team is set to begin training camp, and figures to shore up the starting corner spot opposite Darius Slay.
Without a clear name at the CB2 spot, the Eagles claimed to be prepared to enter camp with a battle of mostly unknowns at the position, but Howie was wise to pounce on Nelson with the team officially having a shade under $5 million in cap space (per the most recent NFLPA projections). Though it’s worth noting the team still needs to sign their second round pick, Landon Dickerson (est.: ~$1.5 million).
Nelson brings ample experience to the Eagles, having started 68 of 82 career games in his 5-year NFL career, amassing 7 interceptions and 52 passes defended over that period. At 5’11” 195 lbs. he doesn’t have the sort of length or size that Gannon is understood to value, but Nelson is a physical player who isn’t afraid to mix it up in the secondary or in the run game.
A duo of Slay and Nelson isn’t elite by any stretch of the imagination, but for an Eagles defense that has lacked legitimate starting corners for the better part of the last decade, the team is as set at this position heading into 2021-22 as they have been in a while. With first time defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon implementing a new scheme this offseason, the experience and stability provided by Slay and Nelson is immeasurable.
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